australia tom victoria books

Addresses

Career

Illustrator, writer, sculptor, cartoonist, and painter. Art teacher until 2002. Exhibitions: Work exhibited widely, including at UWA Perth International Arts Festival, 2005; has exhibited drawings, paintings, and sculpture in galleries throughout Australia and England.

Honors Awards

Shortlisted, Children's Book Council of Australia Picture Book of the Year award, 2002, for Horrible Harriet, and 2003, for Old Tom's Holiday; KOALA Award, 2004, for Old Tom, Man of Mystery.

Writings

SELF-ILLUSTRATED

Old Tom, Puffin Books (Ringwood, Victoria, Australia), 1994.

Old Tom at the Beach, Puffin Books (Ringwood, Victoria, New South Wales), 1995.

OTHER

Adaptations

Hobbs's "Old Tom" series was adapted as a cartoon television series that aired in Australia, Europe, and the United States beginning in 2002.

Sidelights

Australian children's book author and illustrator Leigh Hobbs began writing and illustrating stories while still in primary school. Working in a range of mediums, he became a freelance cartoonist following art school, and has become well known for the books he writes and illustrates for children. Among Hobbs's self-illustrated books are those in the "Old Tom" series, a sequence featuring a scraggly, curmudgeonly feline that includes Old Tom, Man of Mystery and Old Tom's Holiday. Other books by Hobbs include Horrible Harriet, which introduces a girl that would be hard to top as a school bully, and Fiona the Pig, about a perfectionist pig who cares more about a chance to go on stage than she does a roll in the mud.

When a wily house cat is threatened with performing cleaning chores around the house, he devises an alter ego that distracts his housemate Angela while also adding spice to the neighborhood in Hobbs's quirky Old Tom, Man of Mystery.

Old Tom made his first appearance in Old Tom, published in the fall of 1994, and the adventures of the trouble-making cat continue in books such as Old Tom, Man of Mystery, Old Tom's Holiday, and Old Tom at the Beach. In Old Tom, Man of Mystery Old Tom pretends he has fallen ill in order to get out of performing the chores his keeper, tidy Angela Throgmorton, has assigned him. Taken in by the feline's clever ruse, Angela dotes on the ill kitty, tucking Tom into bed and doting on him throughout the day, while also doing the chores originally designated for Old Tom. A Kirkus Reviews critic praised Hobbs for his amusing story, noting that "the deadpan delivery and squiggly, almost drunken illustration are back, and fans who loved the first [Old Tom story] will enjoy this." In School Library Journal, Shawn Brommer also praised the book, commenting that Hobbs's "wacky artwork" features a "quirky childlike quality" and characters drawn with "angular, exaggerated features" in a variety of media.

Old Tom's Holiday finds Angela once again displeased with her lazy cat. She decides to leave Old Tom at home while she goes on a holiday trip. Upon arriving at her hotel and unpacking her suitcase, Angela does not realize—as do observant readers—that Old Tom has secretly stowed away in his keeper's luggage. While Angela enjoys her holiday activities, Old Tom can be seen following her about, loitering, lurking in the shrubbery, and even hanging from chandeliers. "The humor in this book is sure to appeal to children" commented Shawn Brommer, reviewing Old Tom's Holiday for School Library Journal.

ONLINE

Citing this material

Please include a link to this page if you have found this material useful for research or writing a related article. Content on this website is from high-quality, licensed material originally published in print form. You can always be sure you're reading unbiased, factual, and accurate information.

Highlight the text below, right-click, and select “copy”. Paste the link into your website, email, or any other HTML document.

User Comments

Hi Leigh,My name is Chloe, me and my sister Kayley attended your work shop at the Churchill library on the 8th of July. Once we got home I started writing my own story called Tom the trouble making triangle and it worked out pretty well. My sister wrote one as well because she saw me writing my story. Hers is called Josh the holiday square and hers worked out pretty good as well. Hope you can email me back some time.From Chloe

over 6 years ago

Hi LeighMy name is Peter Henry and I went to Syndal tech with you.I am currently living in Castlemaine central vic and have done since 1993 .I am also a 1953 child like yourself and I would love to catch up on what has been happening in your life.Send me an Email if you wish.Regards Peter.

almost 6 years ago

Jayne Hobbs

Hi My name is Jayne Hobbs,

My friend told me to sat this but I find it funny that we share the same lat name and that my dads sisters name is Leigh Hobbs. Just woundering if you enjoy writing books.

Kind Regards Jayne

almost 6 years ago

Jayne Hobbs

Hi My name is Jayne Hobbs,

My friend told me to sat this but I find it funny that we share the same lat name and that my dads sisters name is Leigh Hobbs. Just woundering if you enjoy writing books.

Kind Regards Jayne

almost 6 years ago

Hi my name is Kate and I’m writing an author profile about you and I don’t know any of your issues or obstacles and I would appreciate it.

From Kate at Thangool state school bye!!!!

almost 6 years ago

Hi my name is Kate and I’m writing an author profile about you and I don’t know any of your issues or obstacles and I would appreciate it.

From Kate at Thangool state school bye!!!!

almost 6 years ago

Hi my name is Kate and I’m writing an author profile about you and I don’t know any of your issues or obstacles and I would appreciate it.